Hard hit pigeon ?

[caeser]

I was out yesterday, in the gale force winds, and ended up shooting over some rapefields again.

It was a half decent day considering the conditions. We ended up with 30 odd pigeons and half a dozen crows.

I spent most of the day trying to stop my hide from blowing away. It was actually bending the hide poles. I had logs and all sorts trying to stop it pulling out of the ground. I would normally have guide ropes with me, but thats a long story.

Anyway to the point of this thread,

I shot a pigeon flying across in front of me, it was screaming across at phenomenal speed, 45mph wind assisted after it has spotted me, it was at least 30 yards away. I swung the gun through it and shot it, and it seemed to explode in the air, it was very ,very dead. When I picked it up, It was in a right mess, it looked like I'd shot it from 10 feet away, with its insides blown right out, the whole of its body was destroyed.

I was using No6 shot, fibre wad cartridges, although I'm not sure what make, because I Had a mixture with me. I doubt that the wad had hit it at that range, like I said it easily 30yds. also it too badly destroyed. It was as if a big group of balls of shot had stuck together and hit it ?

Years ago, when cartridges weren't as good as they are today, I know patterns could be unreliable, with big groups of centre shot, but I thought that was all a thing of the past.

I took PW limestone cowboy , he was also very shocked when he saw it.

 

I wish now that I'd taken a picture of it.

 

[JDog]

The shot probably balled. If it did that was pretty accurate shooting.

[kitchrat]

I was once at a clay shoot, using some ammo with clear plastic cases. As I went to load I noticed that the cartridge only had 9 shot in it, AAA or BB or something. Should have been 9s.

So anything could happen.....

[TIGHTCHOKE]

I had a box of shells given to me several years ago, eley cases and labled as 6s. took them out to use on pigeons and didn't hit anything with the first 8 shots.

 

Ninth pigeon approached me straight over a hedge and I shot him at close range (17 Yds) straight in the chest.

 

One exploding pigeon dropped near my feet, looked at the gutted bird and decided not to shoot the rest of the box.

 

Cut two of the shells open and shock horror, most of the pellets had fused.

 

The shells were aparently home loads and the shot had balled up due to getting wet at some point.

 

Another lesson learned!